General Health

Standing Desks vs. TrekDesk

We get this question often. Could I just use a standing desk and forgo the treadmill?

There are pros and cons to the question that should be addressed. Most scientists feel that standing is much better than sitting however there are those such as Alan Hedge an ergonomics scholar at Cornell who argue that too much standing, without movement leads to back injuries, stress on the heart and long term back injuries. Professor Hedge points to factory and retalil workers as an example. He was quoted recently in a Washington Post article stating that "Making people stand all day is dumb. Standing increases torso muscle activity and spinal disk pressure, increases risk of varicose veins, increases the risk of carotid artery disease and increases the load on the heart. If you stand all day, you will be worse off than if you sit all day."

Professor Hedge is correct but the article forgot to ask him about incorporating slow movement into the equation.

Confused? Don't be. Dr. Hedge was not arguing that sitting is better than walking slowly, just that standing still in one position for hours has delitorious effects as does sitting.

There is no doubt that standing is better for you than sitting according to all medical evidence provided movement is incorporated into the equation. A common sense approach reveals that we evolved as a species to move in an upright postion, not to sit in chairs or to stand in one place for extended periods of time.

The damages of sedentary lifestyles and spending hours in chairs are well documented throughout the TrekDesk website but little scientific evidence exists showing the difference between standing in one spot vs moving slowly through the day. However, there is a litany of evidence which illustrates important biological functions which virtually shut down when we are not in motion.

You already know that standing in one spot hurts your feet, back, neck and requires that you either sit or take a stroll to relieve the pain, what you may not be aware of if you have not tried is that walking slowly through the day adds to your energy levels, soothes your joints and muscles and engaging a variety of biological functions to keep your body healthy.